JACKSON, Miss.—Ever since a car accident took half his left leg at age 17, Brad Kennedy has refused to be defined by his loss. So when Kennedy was asked if he wanted to try biking 2,200 miles across Europe, his response was: Bring it on.
On April 30, the 28-year-old prosthetist for Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson joined amputees Mitch Reinitz of Seattle, Wash. and Dan Sherer of Wilmington, N.C. on a 10-country trek from Glasgow, Scotland to Athens, Greece.
JACKSON, Miss.—Swanzetta Rankin won’t soon forget the last time she took feeding herself for granted.
It was the night of Feb. 26, and the 28-year-old was at her mom’s mobile home in Waynesboro. She had just polished off a plate of peas and cornbread and was nodding off in front of the TV when she heard a strange pop that seemed to vibrate inside her brain. Soon after, she went blind in one eye and numb from the neck down.
JACKSON, Miss.—Delivering medicine to Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s stroke unit used to be mere routine for pharmacy technician Linda Adcock of Ridgeland.
But now the journey from her second floor office to the fourth floor unit feels like a victory lap.
Not too long ago, Adcock was residing in Room 415 of the Jackson hospital, wondering if she would ever be able to walk or work again.
JACKSON, Miss.—Methodist Rehabilitation Center has been recognized by the Public Relations Association of Mississippi for excellence in the field of public relations.
PRAM honored Ways & Means, the hospital’s magazine, and Reunion Race, its annual fundraiser, with two Prism Awards. The hospital’s statewide safety program, media relations program, Web site and employee newsletter received 11 certificates of excellence or achievement at the organization’s annual convention in Jackson.
JACKSON, Miss.—At first glance, it’s hard to imagine what a bar of Ivory soap and a plastic knife have to do with healing.
But therapists and patients at Methodist Rehabilitation Center understand the benefits. This is the tenth week of a 12-week block of art classes being offered at the Jackson hospital. The classes, made possible by a grant from the VSA Arts of Mississippi, offer many benefits for the patients.
JACKSON, Miss.—Mississippians may be digging their graves with their forks.
That’s the upshot of a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found obesity may soon overtake tobacco as the top preventable cause of death in the United States.
JACKSON, Miss.—If you’ve been looking for a workout that makes it easier to climb the stairs at work or tote your toddler around the mall, you’re not alone.
The American Council on Exercise reports that the pursuit of “functional fitness” is among the top 10 fitness trends for 2004.
JACKSON, Miss.—Every March, National Poison Prevention Week calls attention to household products that can be deadly in the wrong hands.
But if more lives are to be saved, poison control should truly be an everyday concern, says Lauren Fairburn, coordinator of Think First, Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s statewide injury prevention program.
“Parents and caregivers can’t ever afford to let down their guard,” Fairburn said. “The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that a child is poisoned every 30 seconds in the United States.”
FLOWOOD, Miss.—As spring soccer revs up, fitness experts say there’s a way to reduce the season’s usual rash of knee and ankle injuries.
Their advice: Shape up and watch out.
Peter Schott, a physical therapist and therapy manager for Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s outpatient clinic in Flowood, said the best hedge against getting hurt is to follow a regimen of strength training and cardio-conditioning and to stay focused while on the field.
SIMPSON COUNTY, Miss.—It has been a struggle, but almost nine years later, Joan B. Vaughn is able to laugh heartily at the irony of it all.